The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Degenerative disc disease or degenerative disc disorder (DDD) is a condition that can be painful and can greatly affect the quality of one's life. Disc degeneration is a disease of aging, and though for most people is not a problem, in certain individuals a degenerated disc can cause severe chronic pain if left untreated. Disc degeneration (i.e., loss) is one of the central processes in the pathogenesis of DDD. It is characterized by loss of water content, loss of disc nucleus and eventually reduction of disc height.
For any disease, the underlying pathophysiological processes may be related to the structural changes in tissues and therefore quantified as markers of diagnosis, progression and/or efficacy. Non-invasive assessment of spine has been possible with the existence and advancement of imaging techniques such as radiograph, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), Ultrasound, etc. Therefore, computer aided diagnosis (CAD) and computer aided prognosis (CAP) systems play a vital role in day-to-day life of radiologists by helping them to make better clinical decisions. While several grading systems are documented in the present day medical literature, there is currently no “gold standard” for the diagnosis of DDD other than the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI enables a radiologist to visualize all the tissues present in a joint in 3D. Image texture is used extensively for disease diagnosis and prognosis. These texture markers provide means for CAD and CAP systems. In recent studies, combination markers developed from pattern recognition techniques showed better performance for diagnosis and prognosis.